Falling For Team 8
by Liayso
Summary: Team 8 and Naruto are sent out to protect a wealthy lord and his family, not expecting to find romance along the way. Full summary inside. Naruhina and OCs Original characters .
1. 1: The Twins and a New Mission

Falling For Team 8

By Liayso

Summary: Team 8 and Naruto are sent out to protect a wealthy lord and his family, not expecting to find romance along the way. Kiba meets his match, Shino finds himself unexpectedly falling in love, and Hinata has seemingly gained the romantic interest of a handsome swordsman. But what happens when Naruto finally begins to notice her as well?

Author's Note:

Hello Readers! This fic can be seen as AU (Alternate Universe) as I'm making it so that the Pain Invasion arc did not happen, so Hinata has not confessed her love to Naruto. I know, I know, how could I do such a thing? But this story does not work if I follow canon. So in the world of this fic, Naruto and the gang have defeated Nagato and Akatsuki, Tobi/Madara/whatever, and all of those other villains. Oh, and they also brought Sasuke back (although, I don't think he'll appear in this fic). I just wanted to get everything out of the way so that Naruto would have no obstacles in his way while he's falling for Hinata. Well, except for the obstacle that comes in the form of my original character (Hey, I have to have some conflict and plot; otherwise I wouldn't have a story). Also, the gang's about 18-19 years old.

Damn, this intro is long. Let's get on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Twins and a New Mission

The Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, sat in her office reading a scroll just delivered by the two youths, one male the other female, standing in front of her desk. They were twins, both with dark brown hair and green eyes. The male was a few inches taller than his sister. His dark hair was long, but it was tied at the base of his skull in a ponytail. A long katana was strapped to his side, the hilt showing signs of wear. He stood with a stoic air about him, patiently waiting for the Hokage to finish reading their request for aid. His sister, on the other hand, while waiting as patiently as her brother, showed signs of eager expectance in her green eyes. Her hair was twisted up into a single bun held together by a pair of metal chopsticks with her bangs framing her round face. She too had a katana, but hers hung behind her back in its sheath.

Tsunade finally put the scroll down and looked up at her two visitors. "We accept," she told them. "We'll take on your mission."

The sister let out a breath of relief she had not realized she was holding in while her brother just nodded and said, "Thank you, Lady Hokage."

His sister opened her mouth to express her thanks as well, but her stomach let out a loud rumble instead. She clapped her hands over her belly, her face growing red with embarrassment. "Forgive me, Lady Hokage. I do not mean any disrespect."

Tsunade held up a hand to stop her from going on. "It's quite all right," she told the girl. "When was the last time you two ate?"

"Last night, my Lady," the brother said.

"But it's nearly noon!" Shizune cried out at the lack of self-consideration the pair before her had for themselves.

The sister gave an exaggerated shrug and said, "My brother here insisted that getting the message to the Hokage was our first priority. Never mind the fact that both of us are about to pass out from starvation."

The brother shot his sister a glare, which she only shrugged off, before turning back to face the Hokage. "She is exaggerating," he said, but right when he said it, his stomach let out a loud growl as well. His sister started to chuckle which earned her another glare.

Tsunade smiled at the exchange between the two siblings. Their relationship somewhat reminded her of her little brother, Nawaki.

"It will take a while for us to get things ready in order to assist you. Go grab a bite to eat and get some rest. Come back tomorrow morning and we should have a team ready for you," Tsunade told them.

The two siblings nodded and bid their farewell, bowing before moving to leave the room. Shizune picked up the scroll and did a quick read-through of its contents. "It looks like this mission will require a team specializing in information gathering and investigation," she said.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "But this is ultimately a guarding mission. They will need a powerhouse ninja who is strong and dependable," she said as she began looking through shinobi profiles.

"Who will we send out?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tsunade pulled out Team 8's profiles and placed them on the table. "As for the powerhouse, I think Naruto will do nicely," she said, placing Naruto's profile sheet next to that of Hinata Hyuga.

* * *

Hinata Hyuga ran her hairbrush through her dark locks in a few final strokes before setting it down upon her vanity table. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror, her light lavender eyes staring back at her. There was a knock just outside her door.

"Lady Hinata."

Hinata straightened her posture as she turned towards the door. "Come in."

The door slid open revealing a branch family member. Hinata offered him a kind smile. "Have Kiba and Shino arrived?" she asked. Team 8 had made plans to have lunch together that day.

"Yes, they have, but that is not the reason why I am here, milady," he told her. "You're father has called for a meeting which requires your presence, Lady Hinata."

Hinata's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh! Oh, okay. Please tell my father that I will be there shortly. I just need to tell my teammates that I won't be joining them."

The branch member nodded, bowed, and left to relay the message. Hinata walked out of her bedroom, sliding the door behind her, and made her way to the entrance of the Hyuga compound. While she walked, she wondered what the meeting was going to be about and why her father and the elder clan members would need her present. Even as the Hyuga clan heiress, they had never required her at these meetings before. But she was of age now. Perhaps her father was finally going to prepare her for her future as the head of the clan. The thought kind of excited her.

But what if they had decided to pass her over as heiress due to her lack of strength and skill?

That thought stopped Hinata in her tracks. What if they were kicking her out of the family altogether? She clutched her hands to her chest, over her heart, as it began to ache. She had been training and working so hard to live up to the Hyuga standards. Was it all just a waste of time?

Hinata furiously shook her head. No, it wasn't. She was pleased with the amount of progress she had made over the years. Then her mind wandered to the very reason, her inspiration, she worked so hard to become stronger and better herself. Naruto. Hinata perked up at the thought of him, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. If Naruto was in her position he would face the clan, head held high, ready to take on anything they would throw at him. She should do the same. Whatever issue the clan had with her, Hinata decided that she will face it head on, despite her fears and insecurities, and she continued walking.

Hinata finally reached the entrance and saw her beloved teammates who were also her dearest and best friends. There was Kiba with his wild brown hair sticking up and the trademark Inuzuka tattoos on his face. Akamaru, Kiba's large white dog and most loyal companion, was right by his side as usual. His large tail started wagging at the sight of Hinata. And there was Shino, tall and mysterious, wearing his usual dark shades and large coat with the hood pulled up.

"It's about time!" Kiba said as she walked up to them. "Let's go and grab lunch! I'm starving!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Hinata gave them an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I can't go with you guys. My father has called a meeting that I must attend."

"Is everything all right?" Shino asked.

"Yes, I think," Hinata said, but she was not entirely sure, and her uncertainty could be heard in the quiver of her voice. "Go on without me. I'll catch up with you guys later."

Kiba let out a sigh. "All right, but don't let your dad give you a hard time, Hinata."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."

Shino and Kiba exchanged a look, but they nodded, and Hinata saw them off before heading back inside. She made her way to the Hyuga family dojo where most meetings were held. Inside her father and some of the main house members and elders were already talking. Hiashi was the first to notice her arrival.

"Hinata, please have a seat," he said, motioning to a spot near him.

"Thank you Father," Hinata said and took the spot he motioned to. She bowed her head at everyone else in acknowledgement.

"Now that you are here we can officially begin. As you know, Hinata, you are of age now, and as the next in line in becoming clan head, there are certain duties that you must do," Hiashi told her.

Hinata nodded for him to continue, but she resisted the urge to wring her hands or bite her bottom lip in nervousness. Okay, so they weren't kicking her out, but she wasn't sure she liked the tone and direction the conversation was going in.

Hiashi continued, oblivious to his daughter's nervous state. "And one of those duties is marriage."

* * *

"Do you think everything's all right with Hinata and her family?" Kiba asked his teammate as they walked together towards the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

Shino glanced at his friend and said, "I do not know. Either way, the matter is between Hinata and her clan."

Kiba frowned. "Yeah, but you know how her clan is sometimes. Hinata shouldn't have to deal with that kind of stuff."

"I agree," Shino said. "So if Hinata requires our support or assistance, we will give it to her as friends and teammates should."

Kiba gave a snorting laugh. "Of course we will, and Hinata will be all like 'Oh, I don't want to be a burden to you,' but we'll still help her anyway. Right, Akamaru?"

The large dog gave a loud bark in agreement. The three of them continued on to the ramen stand where they found Ichiraku's most loyal customer, Naruto Uzumaki, slurping up noodles like a vacuum.

Kiba rolled his eyes as he took the seat on Naruto's left while Shino took the right. "Geez Naruto," he said, "what, are you like on your tenth bowl already?"

Naruto managed to put his bowl and chopsticks down long enough to answer him with a wide sheepish grin. "Nah, I'm only on my fifth bowl," he told his friend.

"He just got here," Ayame said with a laugh as she continued her cooking.

Kiba and Shino put in their orders while Naruto finished up his fifth bowl and reached for the sixth bowl of ramen Ayame's father had just placed before him. He gave Team 8 a quick glance over and noticed one of them was missing.

"Hinata not with you guys today?" Naruto asked before he began inhaling his ramen noodles.

"She had clan business to attend to," Shino said.

A crease appeared between Naruto's eyes. He swallowed his food in a giant gulp and turned to the Bug Nin with a rather concerned look on his face. "Is everything okay?"

"I do not know," Shino told him. "She did not tell us anything."

Naruto nodded once and turned back to his noodles, but Shino could tell that the possibility of Hinata having problems bugged Naruto as he didn't slurp up his ramen with the same usual enthusiasm. Shino wondered if that was more meaningful than it seemed.

Just then a pair of voices was heard right outside the stand and Shino looked over his shoulder as two people pushed aside the cloth covering and stepped inside. The bug-nin found himself looking at the brightest pair of green eyes he had ever seen in his life. They seemed to glow like fireflies in the nighttime.

The owner of those eyes wore a smile on her face as she breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of ramen and broth. "This place smells wonderful." Her companion, a male who looked to be her twin, gave a modest nod in agreement.

The girl took the open seat next to Shino while her twin took the one next to her. Ayame greeted them with a wide smile. "Welcome to Ichiraku! Are you guys from out of town? I don't believe I've seen you before."

The male answered, "Yes. We are here on business."

"Well, welcome to Ichiraku all the same," Teuchi said as he gave Naruto another bowl of ramen. "What will it be for the two of you?"

The girl perused the menu, her green eyes looking at every item listed. "I'm not sure." She glanced up and over at Shino, Kiba and Naruto. "What do you guys recommend?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Everything," Naruto said with a grin.

"Like that's going to help her decide," Kiba said, rolling his eyes. "I usually get the beef ramen."

The girl turned to look at Shino, who hadn't given his opinion yet. "What about you?"

Shino felt her gaze reach down to the very pit of his stomach. It was rare for a girl his age, besides Hinata, to look at him with such a friendly and warm look. He suddenly felt hotter than his thick coat usually made him, causing him to use his bugs to readjust his body temperature.

"Miso," he finally said.

The girl nodded and gave one more glance back down at her menu. "I'll have one bowl of miso ramen, please," she said. Shino felt a small twinge of pleasure that she decided to go with his choice.

Her brother ended up ordering a bowl of beef ramen, and both Teuchi and Ayame set out to do more cooking, but they needed to wash some new bowls first since Naruto had about eight bowls of ramen already. The girl turned to the three ninja and introduced herself.

"My name is Hotaru," she introduced herself, "and this is my brother, Hiroki." Hiroki merely nodded at them.

Naruto grinned at both of them. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Kiba Inuzuka," the Dog-nin said. He patted the top of his dog's head. "And this here is Akamaru."

"I am Shino Aburame," Shino told her when her glowing green gaze turned back to him.

_Hotaru…_ Shino thought the name suited her in accordance with the earlier thought of her eyes being like fireflies when he first saw them.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Hotaru told them with a smile.

Hiroki motioned towards their headbands. "Are the three of you Konoha Leaf Ninja?" he asked.

Naruto tried glancing up at his headband but then turned a giant grin at the twins. "You bet we are!" he said proudly.

"You're looking at the best ninja in all of Konoha!" Kiba said, proclaiming himself.

Naruto scoffed when he said that. "You do remember that I beat you, don't you?"

"That was years ago! If we fought now, I would kick your ass," Kiba told him.

The two of them began arguing about who would win in a fight between them. Hotaru looked amused by it all and she leaned in towards Shino and whispered, "I bet you're stronger than both of them, aren't you?"

Shino calmly ate a bite of his ramen and swallowed before he answered her. "We each have our own different strengths," he told her, "but I will admit that I am stronger than both of them combined in certain areas."

Both Naruto and Kiba heard that remark and immediately halted their argument and turned on him.

"Stronger than both of us combined?" Naruto yelled in slight outrage.

"Shino, I know she's cute and all, but do you have to bring me down like that to make yourself look good in front of her? I'm your best friend, man!" Kiba protested.

Shino merely took another bite of ramen while Hotaru chuckled at the whole exchange. She turned to her brother and said, "They're kind of funny, aren't they?"

But Hiroki was frowning. "So much for the acclaimed Konoha Leaf Ninja," he said quietly to his sister, clearly not impressed with what he has seen. "I hope these three aren't on the team that is supposed to help us."

"Shhh," Hotaru said, trying to hush him, but Kiba heard him anyway.

"You guys are here with a mission proposition?" he asked them.

Hiroki quickly answered with an "It's none of your business" remark, but at the same time Hotaru told him, "Yes. We requested help from the Lady Hokage earlier." Hiroki shot her a quelling look, which she only returned.

Naruto scowled at Hiroki. "Geez, you don't have to be so rude about it. We were just asking."

Hiroki 'hmphed' at him and turned his head away. His sister frowned in disproval at her brother. The earlier friendly mood was completely ruined.

"My brother doesn't mean to offend," she said uncomfortably. She didn't know what else to say and so an awkward silence followed. Hotaru was immensely relieved when Ayame and Teuchi finally handed them their order of ramen. Quietly, she split her chopsticks and began mixing the noodles.

Hiroki brought a clump of noodles to his mouth and tasted it. Immediately he spat it out. "What's in this?"

"What do you mean?" Ayame asked him testily.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "It tastes awful. This has to be the worst thing I've ever tasted ever!"

"WHAT?" Naruto yelled in outrage. Rude behavior he could ignore, but an insult to his favorite ramen stand was a crime of the highest kind.

Kiba reacted quickly and grabbed Naruto from behind just as he was about to attack. He locked Naruto in place with a super hold, locking his arms with his own. "Calm down! It's just ramen!" Kiba yelled at him. Akamaru began barking loudly.

Naruto yelled and thrashed, trying to break free and ended up kicking the counter in the process. Hotaru yelped in surprise, and she, Shino and Hiroki jumped out of their seats as bowls of ramen were knocked over, broth and noodles spilling everywhere. At the same time, Ayame screamed and lunged at Hiroki, but Teuchi grabbed and held her back as well.

Hiroki's hands instinctively went to the hilt of his sword, but Hotaru grabbed his arm and shook her head at him. "Don't!" she told him and he relented.

"It's—probably—best—that—you—er—leave," Teuchi grunted out as he tried restraining his daughter. "Right now!"

"I'm so sorry!" Hotaru said emphatically. She then grabbed a hold of her brother's arm and pulled him out of the ramen stand.

Naruto broke free from Kiba's hold and elbowed him harshly in the gut, winding him. He then ran out the ramen stand, chasing after the twins. "Hey you! I'm not finished with you!"

Both Hiroki and Hotaru turned just in time to see a swarm of black bugs engulf the blond haired ninja, halting his charge towards them. Their shocked wide eyes followed the trail of bugs to Shino who was deftly commanding them.

"Go," Shino told them. "Naruto won't come after you."

Hiroki turned and began walking away, but Hotaru stayed behind for a moment, staring at Shino. The expression on her face was inscrutable. Shino couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Thank you," she said suddenly, "and I'm sorry for all the trouble."

"It's all right," he told her. "Go."

Hotaru nodded and hurried to catch up with her brother. Shino kept his gaze on her as she walked further and further away. Just as she and Hiroki were about to turn a street corner, Hotaru looked back at him one more time. Shino had a strong feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he would see her.

Naruto was struggling in the swarm of bugs he was currently in. He hurled curses at Shino, yelling for him to let him go. Shino calmly carried him with his bugs back into the ramen stand where he roughly deposited him onto a stool. Teuchi had finally calmed Ayame down, but she was still steaming mad.

"I can't believe that guy!" she said furiously as she began cleaning up the spilled ramen. "Saying that our ramen was the worst thing he ever ate!"

Teuchi went to the unfinished bowl that Hiroki had been eating from. Surprisingly it was the only bowl not knocked over. He dipped his finger into the soup and tasted it. Teuchi grimaced. "It tastes a little like soap water. In the rush to get the food out we probably didn't rinse this bowl well before we poured the ramen in."

"It was just an honest mistake," Shino said. "So you can drop the matter, right Naruto?"

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms across his chest with a scowl on his face. "Hmph! That guy was still a jerk."

* * *

Hinata wandered the streets of Konoha languidly. The feeling of disbelief numbed her entire body, making her feel like a ghost.

Marriage.

The Hyuga family decided that it was time for Hinata to get married. They were now seeking out eligible suitors, someone that the Hyugas could keep under their thumb while still bringing some advantage or prestige to the family. It would be an arranged marriage; no, it was more like a business transaction. Hinata would be marrying a complete stranger.

During the meeting Hinata had wanted to cry out in protest, but it was as if the shock of it all made her lose her voice. She didn't want an arranged marriage. She wanted to marry the one she loved. In truth, she always knew that the likelihood that she would be with Naruto was slim, but she had always hoped. She had hoped so very much.

Hinata was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the pair of voices that were just around the corner of the fence she was walking along.

"Did you have to act that way?" a female voice asked.

"Hmph, it's not likely we'll see any of those people again, so it doesn't matter," a male voice said.

Hinata crashed right into a solid chest as the pair turned the corner. She fell to the ground on her bottom, her hands bracing her fall.

"Oh! Look what you did, Hiroki!" the female exclaimed. "Are you all right, miss?"

"It was an accident, Hotaru," Hiroki said irritably. He extended his hand out to Hinata to help her up. "Excuse me miss, please forgive me for knocking you down."

"Oh, it's all right. I-I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," Hinata said.

She finally looked up and found herself looking into a pair of deep piercing green eyes. At the sight of her face, Hiroki's breath seemed to catch. His mouth seemed to drop open slightly and he looked at her as if she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before. Hinata flushed slightly underneath his gaze. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Gently, she reached for his hand and he lifted her up easily.

"Thank you," Hinata told him.

"Please forgive me," he said again.

Hinata smiled at him. "It's fine." She dusted the dirt off her clothes. "I should be going, please excuse me," she said, even though she had no destination in mind. She didn't want to meet up with her teammates because they would sense something was wrong and ask her about it. Hinata really didn't want to deal with that at the moment.

Both Hiroki and Hotaru nodded at her, and Hinata began walking away. She felt Hiroki's gaze watching her back, making her flush so hard that she was glad that they couldn't see her face.

* * *

The next day Naruto was still in a foul mood. Whenever he thought about the previous day's events, it got him all riled up with anger. If he ever saw that Hiroki guy again, he was going to shove a Rasengan up his ass. But he would have to push all of that aside, because he now had a mission.

Naruto made his way to the Hokage's tower and found Hinata just climbing the first few steps of the stairs. His face brightened at the sight of his friend and he called out to her. "Hey Hinata!"

Hinata stopped and turned to look behind her. When she saw Naruto, she smiled. "Hello Naruto."

Naruto grinned brightly as he caught up with her on the stairs. "You got a mission summons too?" At her nod, Naruto excitedly exclaimed, "Hey, maybe we're on the same team this time!"

"Yes, maybe," Hinata said, still smiling.

Naruto felt what remained of his bad mood give way as he stared into Hinata's sweet smiling face. He soon found himself chatting to her companionably, making her laugh every now and then as they climbed the stairs together.

When they reached the top, they found Shino, Kiba and Akamaru waiting just outside Tsunade's office. Naruto felt his bad mood coming back. He was still a little peeved that the two of them had restrained him the other day. Naruto grunted in annoyance at the sight of them.

"You're not still mad about what happened yesterday, are you Naruto?" Kiba asked.

Hinata looked from her teammates to Naruto. "What happened yesterday?"

"A mishap at the Ichiraku Ramen stand," Shino told her. "Someone didn't find the food to his liking and Naruto…"

"Went ballistic!" Kiba finished for him.

"Oh shut up!" Naruto crossed his arms forcefully over his chest. "That guy was a big jerk about the whole thing."

"Yeah, but it was still just an accident," Kiba told him. He turned to Hinata. "There was soap water in the guy's ramen," he said in explanation, and then gave a sidelong glance towards Naruto. "…which was kind of Naruto's fault since he ate so many bowls of ramen and Teuchi and Ayame had to wash everything in a rush." That earned him a glare from the blond haired ninja.

"So it was just a misunderstanding," Hinata said. She looked at Naruto. "It isn't anything to get so worked up over, is it?"

Naruto slowly uncrossed his arms and let out a sigh. "I guess not."

At that moment, Shizune popped her head outside the office. "You guys can come in now."

The four of them and Akamaru lined up in front of Tsunade's desk.

"All right," Tsunade began. "I've called you all here because you are all needed for this mission. A wealthy lord and his family have become targets for assassination. I want the four of you to go guard them while investigating who the assassin or assassins might be."

"They do not have any clues as to the assassin's identity?" Shino asked.

"No, they need help with investigation," Tsunade told him. She looked to Shizune and nodded at her. At this prompt, Shizune walked over to Shino and handed him a file. "Shino, I want you to be captain of this squad for this mission. That file contains information gathered by the client's people. Hopefully it will help in your investigation."

"Yes Lady Hokage," Shino said. "We hope not to let you down.

Tsunade nodded at him. "The four of you will be accompanied by two of the lord's people as you make your way there. They will fill you in on the details of the mission and answer any questions you may have. Shizune, please let them in."

Shizune opened the door and two people stepped in. All four ninja turned around to see who their new partners were for this mission. Naruto's eyes bulged out in angry disbelief and he pointed a finger at them, or rather at a particular one of them.

"YOU!" Naruto yelled loudly.

Hiroki merely glared at him while his sister, Hotaru brought her palm up to her face.

"Oh dear," she said.

* * *

Review please? ^_^


	2. 2: Mission Details and Setting Off

Falling For Team 8

By Liayso

Author's Note:

Hello there readers! First of all, I would like to thank those that reviewed the first chapter. So "Thank you lylac, Jagar, and oceanmoon." I really appreciated it. Another thing I want to say is that this fic is kind of a crossover with "Samurai 7," the anime series based off of Akira Kurosawa's film "Seven Samurai," both of which are favorites of mine. When I came up with the idea for this fic, I was rewatching this series and I decided to make my original characters the offspring of some of the characters of "Samurai 7." For those of you who have not seen the series or are unfamiliar with it, don't worry. I will try to explain the history in future chapters, but really the focus will primarily be on Naruto and Team 8 and their relationships to each other and to the new characters. So you don't really need to be familiar with it to read this fic.

Anyway, onto the story!

* * *

Chapter 2: Mission Details and Setting Off

Naruto felt a combination of annoyance and anger boiling inside of him at the sight of Hiroki. "I got to work with _him_?" he yelled in outrage.

Tsunade let his outburst blow over her. "Yes, Naruto. Why, is that a problem? Have you met these people?"

Shino answered for him. "We encountered them yesterday. Naruto and Hiroki, they had…" he paused to think of a euphemism, "a slight disagreement."

The Fifth Hokage raised an eyebrow. "What kind of disagreement?"

"It was over ramen," Kiba piped in helpfully. Getting Naruto in trouble with the Hokage was an amusing pastime for him.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Naruto in exasperation. He only glared back stubbornly. She turned to the rest of the people in the room. "All of you, please leave. I need to speak to Naruto alone."

Everyone but Naruto turned to leave the room. Hinata cast a concerned look in Naruto's direction. "N-Naruto…" she whispered. She hoped that he would be all right.

Once the door to Tsunade's office was shut, the sound of muffled yelling commenced. The force of it caused the walls to shake, and then there was a loud crash. Hotaru flinched at the sound. She turned to the group of ninja before her. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Naruto? Yeah, he gets yelled at like this lots of times," Kiba told her. "It's nothing he can't handle."

Another crash was heard from inside. This time, they all flinched. And the yelling continued.

Hotaru turned back to the group and brought a sheepish hand behind her head. "Well, what are the odds that you guys would be the ones to help us, eh?"

Kiba let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, you're telling me."

Hotaru looked over at Hinata and extended her hand. "I don't believe we were properly introduced yesterday. I'm Hotaru Okamoto."

Hinata shook it. "I am Hinata Hyuga."

Shino glanced at his teammate. "Hinata, have you met these people?"

"I bumped into them yesterday," she told him.

"And I was very sorry I knocked you down," Hiroki said. He bowed to her. "I apologize."

"No, no, that's all right," Hinata told him. "It's already forgiven."

"Nonetheless, I, Hiroki Okamoto, apologize once again," he said and bowed once more, causing Hinata to blush at such chivalry directed at her.

Another crash was heard from inside the office. Hotaru cast a concerned look at the door. "Shouldn't we intervene or something?"

"Nah," Kiba said. "Besides, Naruto kind of deserves it. Freaking out over ramen, sheesh."

Shino turned to Hiroki. "About your ramen yesterday, there was soap water in it. The bowl hadn't been rinsed properly in the lunch rush."

"So it was just an honest mistake," Hotaru stated. She looked at her brother. "We should go apologize before we leave."

Hiroki nodded in agreement. "Very well then."

There was some final yelling and one more loud crash before Shizune opened the door again. As the small group filed back inside they didn't fail to notice the large bumps atop Naruto's head. Kiba snickered and Shino remained impassive over his injury, but Hinata, as always, was concerned.

"N-Naruto…" she squeaked out.

"He'll live," Tsunade said gruffly. She turned to face the twins. "I wouldn't blame you if your impression of this group isn't very high, but I can assure you that they are some of Konoha's finest ninja and they will see to it that this mission will be a success. Though, I would understand if you want to request a change."

Hotaru looked at her brother. She was all right with this group and had a good feeling about them, but she would go along with the change request if he desired it so. The decision rested upon him. Hiroki looked over at the ninja beside him. Though he had his doubts, mostly about Naruto, Hiroki had a feeling that this group would not let him down. This mission required the best and if this was it, then he had no choice but to comply. This mission was far too important and personal to both himself and his sister to settle for second best. His gaze drifted to Hinata. Plus, he wanted to get to know this particular ninja better.

"A change of team members is not required. I believe we can overcome our differences long enough to get through this mission," Hiroki told the Hokage.

"How very diplomatic of you. All right then, you're all dismissed. And Naruto, I better not get any complaints about you from our clients," Tsunade warned him.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied.

Everyone except Naruto bowed in a respectful farewell to Tsunade and Shizune. The lot of them then filed out of the office with Naruto glaring at the back of Hiroki's head. Tsunade let out a long sigh and began rummaging through her desk.

"I need a drink. Where the hell is that bottle of sake?" she said irritably.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune said reprovingly.

* * *

The six of them and Akamaru went to a small tea house to discuss the mission. Kiba sat down at one of the ends of a table with Akamaru off to the side next to him. Hinata took the seat next to Kiba with Naruto following after her. Shino took the seat opposite Kiba and Hotaru slipped into the seat next to him. Hiroki sat down in the remaining open spot, across from Naruto. The two of them caught each other's eye and began glaring at each other.

Hotaru ordered tea for everyone and then turned to the group before her. She couldn't help but notice the antagonistic tension between her brother and Naruto. Hotaru let out a sigh and said, "You know, I hope all of us can act like the adults that we are and get through this mission professionally and without killing each other."

Hiroki sent a sideway glance to his sister. She silently pleaded for him to back down and he reluctantly relented. He broke the stare-off between him and Naruto and leaned back into his seat. Naruto wouldn't give in so easily, however, and kept narrowing his eyes at the samurai.

"Naruto," Shino warned him in a stern voice.

Hinata looked at Naruto. "Naruto, please," she pleaded for him to stop glaring.

Naruto glanced back at her and the look on his face softened just a bit. He shrugged in his seat, crossed his arms over his chest, but he finally stopped glaring at Hiroki. "Teh, fine."

Realizing that this was as good as Naruto's behavior would get, Hotaru decided to continue.

"Okay," she began, "the ones that you will be helping us to guard are actually our family members." She pulled out three photographs and laid them out on the table.

The first was a picture of a man with graying orange-red hair. He was tall and of a thick and immense build, but the grin across his face belied his good and humorous nature.

"This is our Uncle Kiku," Hotaru said. "We believe he is the main target. He was the first to be attacked. When he was out riding his horse, somebody shot at him. Luckily the shooter missed and only spooked the horse, but our uncle ended up falling off. Nothing serious though."

Hotaru motioned to the second photo, which contained a picture of a small lady with dark reddish brown hair. "This is our Aunt Komachi, Uncle Kiku's wife. She hasn't been attacked yet, thank goodness."

"But it's only a matter of time," Hiroki pointed out.

"Way to be a pessimist, Hiroki," Hotaru said dryly. She gestured to the last photograph. "This is Mika, our cousin."

Kiba glanced down to see a girl around their age. She had reddish brownish hair and brown eyes, like her mother. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail to the side of her head. There was a playful glint in her eyes as she smiled in the photograph.

"She's pretty cute," Kiba couldn't help but say.

"Watch it," Hiroki warned him, protective of his cousin.

Kiba held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just making an observation."

Hotaru continued with the details. "There was a kidnapping attempt on her life shortly before we decided to set out to Konoha for help. Luckily she was able to get away."

"How did she manage to do that?" Naruto asked as he squinted at the photograph, wondering how such a tiny girl could manage to flee kidnappers.

"Well, our cousin likes to take in creatures from the forest and feed them and such," Hotaru began to explain.

But Hiroki finished for her. "She had a hedgehog with her and used it to incapacitate her kidnappers so she could get away," he said bluntly.

"The hedgehog has one trick," Shino said, "but it's a good one." Hotaru couldn't help but smile and nod when he said this.

Hinata glanced down at the photographs and then looked back up at the twins. "You mention your aunt, uncle and cousin, but not your parents. Are they being targeted as well?"

Hotaru's smile faded from her face. She looked down at her hands. "Our parents died a long time ago, back when we were still kids."

"It was a fever that had struck our village," Hiroki told them.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…"

Hiroki held up hand for her to stop. "It's all right. It happened a long time ago."

Hotaru gave Hinata a small smile. "It's why we're eager to protect them," she said motioning to the pictures. "They're all that we have left."

Naruto knew exactly how the twins felt, the eagerness to protect their loved ones, the desire to not lose anyone important and precious to them. He knew it all too well. He suddenly stood up and slammed his hand atop the table, the other one covering his heart in a pledge. "I give you my word that I'll protect your family and I'll find the guys threatening them and I'll pulverize them!" he shouted.

Hotaru blinked at his outburst. "Uh, thank you, Naruto," she said awkwardly but a smile formed on her face. Hiroki merely rolled his eyes at such dramatics.

"Are the two of you being targeted as well?" Shino asked the twins.

"No," Hiroki answered. "There have not been any attempts on our lives."

"It's a possibility that we're also targets though," Hotaru chimed in. "But Hiroki and I can take care of ourselves. We're more concerned about our family."

"Nevertheless, as our clients and partners in this mission, you shall have our protection as well," Shino told her.

"Thank you," Hotaru replied feelingly in response. "I appreciate it."

"So what's the plan?" Kiba asked.

Hiroki pulled out a map and laid it before them on the table. "It took us twelve days to reach Konoha. We hope to decrease that amount of time to ten days on the way back by going through this pass," he said as he pointed to a mountain pass to the south of Konoha.

"That pass, the quickest route through the mountains, is rumored to be the hangout for all kinds of bandits and thieves. We avoided it on our way here, but since there are more of us now, I believe that we can get through it just fine," Hotaru said.

"Pfft, a few bandits won't be a problem for us," Kiba told them proudly. Naruto nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Excellent," Hotaru said with a grin. "Once we get through the mountain pass, we'll arrive at this port and take a ship to over here," she said as she traced their voyage on the map with her finger.

"That should take about two days, and from there it's about a few days' journey to our village of Kanna," Hiroki told them.

Hotaru nodded. "And from there we'll formulate a way to uncover our adversaries and put an end to their attacks."

"When shall we leave?" Shino asked them.

"Can the four of you be ready in two hours?" Hotaru asked. They all nodded. "All right then, we'll meet at the main gate and set off in two hours."

Hiroki began rolling up the map as everyone else finished up their tea. They all stood up at the same time, nodded at each other, and then dispersed to get ready for the mission.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Hinata finished packing her bag for the mission. She was now in the kitchen, packing onigiri rice balls to eat during the trip. She and her sister Hanabi had made them earlier that day and they had leftovers. Hinata gathered seven rice balls, one for everyone in their group including Akamaru, and wrapped them up in cloth, tying it off with a neat bow.

"Hinata."

The Hyuga heiress looked up to see that her father had just entered the room. "Oh, hello Father," Hinata said and bowed her head.

"I was told that you have a mission," Hiashi said.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I will be gone for awhile."

"I see."

A silence followed. Seeing her father reminded Hinata of the conversation they had the other day, the one about her upcoming marriage. Hinata clutched at the package of rice balls before her, her fingers clenching the cloth covering at the thought of it all.

"Father," she began, "about what we talked about yesterday…Can we put it on hold while I'm away?"

"On hold?" Hiashi repeated with an asking glance.

"Well, it's just that," Hinata began, her words seeming to get jumbled at the top of her throat. She calmed herself and continued. "It's just that I don't want to go away on a mission and then come back to find that the clan already has a husband picked out for me."

Hiashi gave her a curious look. For a moment he remained silent and just stared at her. Hinata looked him straight in the face. She was intimidated by her father, but she wouldn't let her future be decided by anyone but her.

"Very well then," Hiashi finally answered. "We won't make any major decisions while you are away."

These words reassured Hinata and she felt the tension ease from her shoulders. She gave her father a small smile and said, "Thank you."

Hiashi returned the smile with a nod. "Do well on your mission," he told. He turned and began leaving the room.

Hinata's smile widened. She knew those words were her father's way of saying "Good luck and be safe" to her. She called out after him, "I will, Father."

Hiashi stopped just at the door. He nodded at his daughter one final time and exited. Hinata let out a sigh as she packed the rice balls into her bag. So she managed to put things on hold for now. That thought filled Hinata with immense relief as she left the Hyuga compound. But she knew she would have to face the issue eventually, as well as the possibility that she would not marry the one that she loved. Hinata's heart swelled within her chest at the thought of Naruto.

'If only,' Hinata thought. If only Naruto saw her as more than just a friend. If only he noticed her and looked at her the way that… the way that Hiroki Okamoto had looked at her when he first laid eyes on her face. Hinata blushed at the memory of his gaze filled with awe at the sight of her, as if she were beautiful and enchanting. No one had ever looked at her like that. It was new and exciting and a bit frightening all at the same time.

Hinata had to admit that Hiroki was quite handsome. But he seemed to be the absolute opposite of Naruto. Where Naruto was loud, boisterous and eagerly enthusiastic, Hiroki seemed quiet, reserved and composed. Even their physical appearances were in opposite of each other. Naruto had short spiky blond hair that wildly stuck out all around his head. Hiroki had long dark brown hair, smoothly tied back in a ponytail. Naruto wore bright orange while Hiroki stuck with the cooler colors of blue, green and black. Truly, no two people could be any more different.

And yet, Hinata couldn't help but be attracted to both of them. She had loved and admired Naruto for so long but not once did he seem to notice her the way that Hiroki did in the short time since she bumped into him. Hiroki seemed to acknowledge and regard her as a beautiful and attractive young woman, while Naruto merely saw her as his friend and comrade. There was nothing wrong with being just Naruto's friend, but Hinata couldn't help but find Hiroki's regard appealing and flattering. She was a girl after all. What girl didn't like to be seen as attractive?

As these thoughts went through her mind, Hinata then thought of something that stopped her in her tracks. Was it possible that she could like another guy, different from Naruto? The thought startled her. She had only ever liked and loved one person and that was Naruto. She couldn't imagine herself loving anyone else, and yet, with the appearance of this handsome young samurai, Hinata had to wonder.

"Hey Hinata!"

Hinata turned around and saw Naruto jogging up to her. He was waving his arm and grinning at her with that wide smile of his. Hinata felt her insides melt and turn all mushy inside, and she found herself smiling and waving back at him. Any doubt that she had about loving this young man completely dissipated as she saw his smile. It was one of the things she loved the most about him. His smile always seemed to brighten up her day, whether it was directed at her or not. Luckily for Hinata, today's smile was aimed at her.

Naruto finally caught up to her and he skid to a halt, kicking up some dust after him. "You all set to go?" he asked, still smiling.

Hinata nodded, smiling back at him with a slight blush on her face. "Yes."

"Great! Then let's go!" he said, pumping his fist into the air, and the two of them walked side by side to the main gate.

* * *

Hotaru stood just outside the Ichiraku ramen stand, waiting for her brother who was inside apologizing for yesterday. She looked up from her feet to see Shino walking down the street. She smiled and called out, "Hey!"

Shino stopped and turned to the direction of her voice. When he caught sight of her, he began walking towards her. "Hello," he greeted, and then he gave an asking glance at the ramen stand entrance.

Hotaru motioned with a tilt of her head. "Hiroki's inside apologizing."

"I see."

"You ready to go?" Hotaru asked him.

"Yes."

Hotaru gave an amused expression at his short responses. "You're not much of a talker, are you Shino?"

Shino remained silent and Hotaru let out a small chuckle at the confirmation of her assumption. Nonetheless, she still tried to converse with him to get to know him better. He was after all, her teammate in this mission and she was not only entrusting her family's lives in his hands, but her life as well.

Hotaru took in his cloaked appearance. "Aren't you a little warm in such a thick coat?" she asked him, making small talk.

Shino shook his head.

"Really? It's pretty sunny today though," Hotaru said. She glanced up at the bright blue sky above the Leaf village. "Konoha has such nice weather. It's too bad we couldn't have stayed here a bit longer."

At that moment, Hiroki emerged from the ramen stand.

"How'd it go?" Hotaru asked him.

"They gave me a coupon," he told her while holding out a small slip of paper.

Shino nodded and said, "They have forgiven you."

"That's good," Hotaru said with a smile of relief. "I can't imagine what Naruto would have done to us if the ramen chefs still hated us."

Hiroki merely rolled his eyes at the mention of the blond ninja, but Shino thought to explain and defend his friend and comrade.

"Naruto is a good person," he told the twins. "He wouldn't hold a grudge over something like that."

Hiroki didn't seem to believe him, but Hotaru gave Shino a smile.

"Come on, the others are probably waiting for us," she told them both and the three of them made their way over to the main gate of Konoha Village.

Kiba, Naruto and Hinata were already there. Hiroki went straight towards Hinata and gave her a small bow in greeting. "Lady Hinata," he said with a reverential gaze.

"Um, hello," Hinata said back, blushing at the way he was looking at her. She glanced over at Naruto, but he merely stood with his arms behind his head, oblivious to it all.

Hotaru looked to the rest of the group. "Everyone set to go?" she asked. They all gave her a nod. "Good, then we're off. Kanna Village, here we come."

* * *

Author's Note (Again):

Gah! This chapter was hard to write because it was mostly exposition. Anyway, please leave a review. I promise some juicy good stuff in the next chapter.

Also, if you have the time, please check out my other Naruto-verse fic, "Head of The Hyuga Clan." It's a Hinata/Hyuga Clan centered fic, but there will also be slight Naruhina in the future.

Thanks!


	3. 3: The Mountain Pass

Falling For Team 8

By Liayso

Author's Note:

Hello there readers! Sorry for not updating in a LONG time. I actually had this chapter 90% done for a few months now. I just didn't have the heart to finish it because I felt like it kind of sucked. We are our own worst critics and I am especially hard on myself when I write, which is why I need you guys to review and bug me and tell me that I'm doing okay to motivate me to write more. Anyway, onto the story!

* * *

Chapter 3: The Mountain Pass

Kiba led the group through the forests and lands outside the village. They were nearing the entrance of the mountain pass, the start of their long journey. He looked back at the twins and asked, "Hey, I've been wondering. Why come all the way to Konoha for help when there are other ninja villages closer to your home?"

Hotaru was the one who answered him. "Our father once met some Leaf ninja on his travels and journeyed with them for awhile. He told us stories about them, saying that they were strong and dependable."

Hiroki chimed in, "And also our cousin told us that she saw some of her abductors wielding ninja weapons. We have no prior experience dealing with ninja warriors and thought it best to seek help from other ninja."

"And the only ninja village we really know of is Konoha," Hotaru finished.

"We're almost at the pass," Shino stated. He slowed to a stop. "We'll rest a moment and discuss our strategy for traveling through the pass before going on."

Everyone nodded and sat down, each pulling out a canteen of water and taking a sip. Hinata reached into her bag and pulled out the rice balls she had brought.

"Um, here are some rice balls for everyone," she said as she presented the food. "Please enjoy them."

"Yes!" Kiba said happily as he grabbed two rice balls, one each for him and Akamaru, who was only too happy to gobble his down.

Naruto accepted his with a wide grin while Shino nodded quietly but still expressed his thanks. Hinata turned to the twins and held out the rest.

"Go on," she told them with a friendly smile.

Hotaru smiled back and accepted hers graciously, saying her thanks, while Hiroki took his with a slight bow of his head.

"Thank you, Lady Hinata. You are most kind," he praised her, making Hinata blush.

They bit into the balls and their faces seemed to light up. Hotaru brought a palm to her reddening cheek as she savored the delicious taste in her mouth.

"These are really good, Hinata!" she exclaimed and turned to her brother. "They're just like how mom used to make them."

Hiroki nodded he turned to Hinata and thanked her again. "You have a talent, Lady Hinata."

"Thank you," Hinata replied, still blushing.

"I've always said that you're going to make some lucky guy a great wife one day, Hinata!" Naruto said with his mouth half full.

"Wives aren't just for cooking food for their husbands, you know that right Naruto?" Hotaru said with good humor.

"I know that," Naruto said with a grin, "but it doesn't hurt, does it?"

A chuckle was shared amongst the group as they finished their snack. However, the mention of wives and marriage reminded Hinata of the discussion with her family and what awaited her after this mission. Her blush and smile began to disappear and she felt herself begin to withdraw into herself. Shino noticed it right away.

"What is wrong, Hinata?" he asked her quietly.

"It's nothing," she said, but Kiba, with his superior hearing, heard their exchange and couldn't keep from asking as well.

"What is it? What's going on, Hinata?" he asked loudly, bringing everyone's attention to her.

With everyone looking at her, Hinata didn't know what to do but tell the truth. She looked down and fidgeted in her seat. "Well, um, I was just thinking that it was kind of funny that Naruto said that, you know, about me making someone a good wife because it appears that I will be marrying soon."

Kiba's jaw dropped and Naruto began choking on the last bite of his rice ball while the twins' eyes widened with surprise. Shino was the only one who did not visibly react to Hinata's news, but Hinata felt that he was just as surprised and shocked as the others.

Naruto gave a good thump to his chest with his fist to make that last bite go down his throat before he turned to his friend. "You're getting married? To who?" he choked out.

"I don't know," she told him.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kiba demanded.

Hinata explained to everyone how her clan had decided that it was time for her to marry and how they were going to begin searching for eligible suitors soon after this mission was over.

Shino understood right away. "I see. So it will be an arranged marriage."

Hinata nodded. "Yes, exactly."

"But Hinata," Kiba began, "you can't seriously be all right with an arranged marriage, are you?"

"Wait, what's an arranged marriage?" Naruto asked.

"It's a marriage where the bride and groom aren't in love but their families force them to marry in order gain stuff like money, land, power or something stupid like that," Kiba said bitterly, clearly expressing his disapproval at Hinata's situation.

"WHAT!" Naruto exclaimed. He swerved his head to Hinata. "You can't have an arranged marriage!"

Hinata grimaced. "I don't have a choice."

"Of course you have a choice!" Naruto yelled. Something about the whole thing outraged Naruto. It just felt wrong that someone as nice as Hinata should have this fate. She deserved better. "When we get back to the village, we're going straight to Grandma Tsunade and demand that she do something about this!"

"It wouldn't do much good," Shino told him. "It's not uncommon for clans like the Hyuga clan to conduct their marriages in such a way. It is how things have been done for generations."

Naruto began to protest, "But—"

"Excuse me," Hotaru interrupted, "but is now really the time to be talking about this?" She turned to Hinata with a sympathetic look. "I don't mean to be insensitive to your situation, I don't believe in arranged marriages myself and I'm sorry that you have to go through with such a thing, but we do have a mission to focus on."

"Hotaru is right," Hinata agreed, grasping at the chance to change the subject. "Let's focus on the mission at hand," she pleaded for everyone to drop the issue of her 'marriage.'

Both Naruto and Kiba huffed and grunted, but they settled into a quiet, albeit defiant, acquiescence. Hinata turned to Hotaru and gave a silent "Thank you," for getting her out of the hot seat. She returned the gesture with a smile and a mute "You're welcome." Hiroki watched Hinata, thoughts forming behind his green eyes.

Shino continued talking. "As we travel through the mountain pass, we will travel in a formation of three pairs spaced apart in a straight line." He motioned to himself, Kiba and Hinata. "Since the three of us specialize in sensory abilities, we each will make half of a pair." Shino turned to the twins. "Which of you is the better fighter?"

"I will freely admit that my brother is the superior swordsman," Hotaru said.

"Thank you," Hiroki said, accepting the compliment.

"But I will also add that I have more tact than he does," she added, which earned her a frown from her brother.

While Naruto and Kiba snickered, Shino continued on. "All right then. Hiroki will travel in the front with Kiba and Akamaru. Their superior sense of smell and hearing will be ideal in detecting any oncoming danger."

Kiba nodded while Akamaru barked. "Right, you can count on us!"

"Hotaru, you will be partnered with me in the center while Naruto and Hinata will bring up the rear," Shino said.

"The rear?" Hiroki said, "But the rear is the mostly likely place where enemies will attack."

"I know that," Shino told him, "and that is precisely why Naruto and Hinata are placed there. Hinata has the ability to see several meters in distance with a near 360 degree field vision. She will be able to see the enemies long before they see her."

"Yes, but that does not guarantee Lady Hinata's safety," Hiroki said, glancing at Naruto, not believing that his strength would be enough. "They could still be ambushed by the bandits."

Shino followed Hiroki's gaze. "Naruto has the ability to multiply himself using shadow clones. He is the perfect person in our group to deal with an ambush. You do not need to worry about them."

"Yeah," Naruto added, "and Hinata's no delicate daisy herself. She can fight too, ya' know."

Hinata smiled in his direction, brightening at the compliment. She turned to Hiroki. "Really, you don't have to worry about me, but I do appreciate it."

Hiroki looked like he was going to protest some more, but his sister nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"They're professionals, remember? They're trained to handle situations like this. It's why we asked for their help," Hotaru told him.

Hiroki gave in. "Very well then."

Everyone got into their designated positions and they began traveling through the pass. Naruto glanced over at Hinata, who was activating her Byakugan every now and then, checking for any enemies.

"You're not really going to go through with an arranged marriage, are you Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, her eyes returning to their normal appearance. "I don't know." She sighed and looked down at her hands. "I've asked my father to wait until after I finished this mission, but I don't know what I will do then."

"To hell with what Shino said! When we get back to the village, I'm gonna talk to Grandma Tsunade!"

Hinata looked up. Naruto was looking at her with such a serious face that she began to blush. "You don't have to, Naruto, but thank you." She was touched that he would do that for her. "This is my problem and I am the one that will handle it."

Naruto looked at her for a moment but then offered a friendly smile. "But if you need any help, you just let me know, okay?"

Hinata smiled at him and nodded. Sensing that someone was watching her, she looked ahead and saw Hiroki looking at her over his shoulder. She blushed and bashfully looked away. Hiroki turned his head back to the front. Kiba casted him a sideways glance.

"Can you be any more obvious?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm talking about your developing crush on Hinata," Kiba told him.

Hiroki's face began to turn red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kiba snorted. "I don't blame you for liking her, but let me tell you, there's no hope for you there."

"Why? Because she is to be married?"

Kiba made a face at the mention of Hinata's upcoming arranged marriage. "There's that, but there's also the fact that she has her eyes on someone else. It's probably best if you look elsewhere."

Hiroki looked back again and saw Hinata talking to Naruto. The two of them were chatting amiably and every now and then Naruto made Hinata laugh and smile. Then it hit him. That "someone else" was Naruto. Hiroki couldn't believe it. He shook his head. It was impossible. Someone like Lady Hinata couldn't possibly entertain any sort of romantic feelings for someone like Naruto. It just couldn't be.

In the center of it all, Shino and Hotaru were both well aware of what was going on, with all the looks being casted back and forth. Hotaru shook her head, amused by it all. She looked over at Shino.

"It appears my brother is falling for Hinata," she said. She then looked over at Naruto and Hinata behind her. "But it seems that Hinata likes Naruto."

"You noticed," Shino stated.

"Of course," she replied. "Just look at them. It's quite obvious."

"Obvious to everyone but Naruto."

That surprised Hotaru. "You mean he doesn't know?" When Shino shook his head, Hotaru was even more surprised. "Naruto does seem to be the oblivious type, but surely he can't be that dense."

Shino said nothing and they continued their trek through the pass. They came up to a narrow path between two cliffs. Kiba and Akamaru immediately picked up the scent of enemies. Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw about fifteen men hidden behind the rocks and boulders, ready to ambush them. Both she and Kiba looked to warn their team captain.

"Shino…"

"I know," he quietly said. "Everyone, leave this to me, but be ready for an attack." Shino began to send out his bugs in order to assess the strength of their enemies and, if possible, incapacitate them without the need of a big fight, but then Naruto opened his mouth.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, creating five clones.

This alerted the bandits. With a warlike cry, they came out from behind the rocks and jumped down below. A few remained up in the cliff and tossed down a large net to trap them. Hiroki and Hotaru drew their swords, slicing the rope web to pieces.

"Idiot!" Kiba yelled at Naruto. "Why the hell did you do that? Shino was going to take care of it!" He looked at his loyal dog, who was ready to fight, growling and baring his teeth. "Akamaru, let's go!" The white dog transformed into a second Kiba and the two of them began to take down some of the bandits.

Naruto kicked at a charging bandit. He pulled out a kunai to defend against another attacker. Steel and metal clashed as the fight ensued. One of his clones snuck up behind the bandit and took him down. "Why let Shino have all the fun? We can take them on!"

"Gentle Fist!" Hinata yelled, as she blew one bandit back away from her with the palm of her hand. Using her Byakugan, she scanned the whole area. "Hiroki! Behind you!"

The young samurai quickly spun around and parried the attack, cutting down his assailant. "Thank you, Lady Hinata," Hiroki said to her.

She nodded and struck out again at another oncoming attacker. Hinata saw Shino send his bugs up to the cliffs to take care of the bandits that had remained up in the rocks while Hotaru fended off two bandits at once. They came at her from both sides. Hotaru kicked at the one wielding a knife in front of her with her foot, knocking him off his feet, while the other one came up from behind her. She swung her sword, forcing him to back off, and pursued him head on. One of Naruto's clones came up to assist but the bandit landed a strong blow with his club, causing the clone to disappear. But it still gave Hotaru enough time to take the club-wielding bandit down.

Hinata's eyes widened and she cried out, "Hotaru! Look out!"

But it was too late. The bandit from before came up behind her and slashed at her back with his long knife. Hotaru cried out as blood spilled from the gash in her back. Cringing with pain, she turned around and used her sword to block the bandit's killing blow. He bore down on her with all his strength, bringing her to her knees.

"Hotaru!" Hiroki yelled, fighting to reach his twin sister as he took down any bandit that stood in his way.

A huge swarm of black bugs came out of nowhere, engulfing the bandit attacking Hotaru. They slammed him into the jagged stone wall of the mountain. Shino appeared at her side, ready to defend her against any bandit that thought to finish her off.

"Hotaru needs help!" Hinata cried out. "Naruto, please cover me!"

Naruto nodded and he created more Shadow Clones to preoccupy the bandits while she headed over there. Hinata reached Shino and Hotaru at the same time Hiroki did.

"Hotaru, talk to me," Hiroki pleaded. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said, but she trembled as she did. She used her sword to hold herself up and keep from falling.

Kiba, Akamaru, Naruto and his clones fought fiercely against the remaining bandits, driving them farther away from where Shino, Hiroki and Hinata stood guarding the wounded Hotaru. Realizing that this group could not be easily defeated, the bandits that were still alive and conscious began to retreat. With her Byakugan, Hinata saw them disappear. They were safe for now.

"Is she okay?" Naruto asked as he and Kiba came up to them.

"The cut doesn't appear to be deep," Shino stated as he looked at her wound.

Hotaru's face was very pale. "I'm starting to lose feeling…" she said weakly.

Kiba picked up the knife that the bandit had dropped. He sniffed it. "This thing's coated with poison." He tossed the blade to Shino to have a look at it.

He used a few of his insects to test the poison. It was a common poison, one that he and his bugs had an antidote to. "Leave it to me, I can cure the poison," Shino said as he knelt behind Hotaru. "I'm going to have to cut your shirt. You might want to put your hands over your chest," he said to her. When she pressed her arms to her breasts, Shino pulled out a kunai knife and began to cut Hotaru's shirt up, baring her back to his eyes.

"What are you doing to my sister?" Hiroki cried out in protest of the undressing of his sister.

"Relax man," Kiba said, grabbing his shoulder.

"Shino and his bugs can administer the antidote. He's trying to help her, Hiroki," Hinata explained. She reached into her pack and began pulling out basic medical supplies. "Perhaps maybe you three should go wait over there," Hinata said, pointing a few meters away towards some rocks. "Shino and I can handle this."

Hiroki looked down at his injured sister. "Hotaru, will you be okay?"

Hotaru managed to look back up at him. "I appreciate the concern brother, but the last thing I want is for you to watch over me when I'm half naked."

Kiba placed a hand on Hiroki's shoulder. "C'mon, let's give them some space." And they, along with Naruto and Akamaru, left Shino and Hinata to their work.

"I'm going to administer the antidote using my insects now. This might be uncomfortable," Shino told Hotaru.

"More uncomfortable than getting slashed in the back and poisoned?" Hotaru tried to joke, but she had to bite back the twinge of pain that came over her. "Just do what you need to do," she groaned out.

Shino pressed his palms to her back and released his bugs, covering the entire length of the knife wound. He felt Hotaru tense up at the touch of his hands at first, but then she began to relax, the tension easing out of her shoulders. This surprised Shino. If he was doing this to any other female, he imagined that she would shudder in revulsion at the idea of hundreds of bugs making any kind of skin contact, but Hotaru did not seem to mind. She trusted him enough to save her life, and for some unknown reason, Shino was very pleased by that fact.

Compelled to say something, Shino said, "I'm sorry."

Hotaru tried to look over her shoulder at him. "What for?"

"As your client and partner, I was supposed to be watching your back. You should have never been injured."

"It's okay," Hotaru told him. "I wasn't careful, so it's my fault."

"Still," Shino said, "I won't let something like this happen again."

A smile appeared on Hotaru's face despite the pain she felt. "Thanks Shino."

Hinata watched as Shino continued to administer the antidote. The color was coming back to Hotaru's face and her cheeks began to turn pink. Hinata looked to Shino. As usual, she couldn't see the expression on his covered face, but Hinata sensed that something new and different was happening to her friend. Something good. Hinata smiled and wished him the best.

"The poison is now gone," Shino finally said. He removed his hands from Hotaru's back and called back his insects. The wound was no longer bleeding.

"How do you feel?" Hinata asked Hotaru.

"Okay, I think," she said.

Shino stood and turned his face tactfully away from Hotaru's bare back, sparing her modesty. He looked to his teammate. "I leave the rest to you, Hinata."

"Right," Hinata said, taking his spot behind Hotaru. "You can count on me."

As Shino began walking towards where the others were waiting, Hotaru called out to him. He turned slightly back to face her.

"Shino, thank you."

He nodded and continued towards the others. Using water from her canteen, Hinata wet a piece of cloth and began cleaning the drying blood around Hotaru's cut. After she was done, she then opened a jar of her homemade ointment, scooped some out, and began applying it to Hotaru's back, massaging it over the wound with her hands.

"This ointment will help your injury heal faster," Hinata told her. "I'm sorry if it's a little cold at first."

"It's all right," Hotaru said. "Thanks Hinata."

When Hinata was done, she looked up and made sure the guys weren't looking in their direction. They weren't, so she got a roll of bandages ready. "We need to bandage it up now," she said.

Hotaru nodded and removed what was left of her shirt from the front of her chest. She helped Hinata wrap the bandage around her body.

"Is it too tight?" Hinata asked once they were done.

Hotaru shook her head. "No it's fine." She then looked at her tattered shirt. "I don't suppose you have an extra shirt or something handy? I don't exactly want to be walking around with just bandages for coverings."

"I'm sorry, I don't." Hinata looked down at her clothes. "But, um, you can wear my jacket."

Hotaru smiled at her. "That will do just fine. Thank you."

Hinata unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off her shoulders. When she handed it off to Hotaru, she noticed that she was staring. Hinata began to flush in embarrassment and began to tug at the hemline of the black shirt she was wearing beneath the jacket.

"W-what is it?" Hinata asked.

Hotaru shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just didn't realize that you were so…" she trailed off trying to find an appropriate word. "It's just that you're such a tiny girl to have such…" She settled for an obvious rounded gesture with her hands.

Hinata fidgeted uncomfortably. She knew that her breasts were large and she had always been horribly embarrassed over them. They brought her nothing but unwanted attention. It was why she always wore her jacket when she went out.

A teasing smile appeared on Hotaru's face, like that of an older sister whose younger sibling had just reached puberty. "I bet you're quite popular with the boys, aren't you Hinata?"

She just blushed more furiously. "N-no! It's not like that!"

Hotaru chuckled. "I'm just teasing you. Come on, I want to see the look on my brother's face when he sees you."

As they walked to where the boys were waiting for them, Hinata bowed her head down, too bashful to look any of the guys in the face. Kiba immediately saw that Hinata wasn't wearing her jacket and so, knowing how she felt about the whole thing, he quickly averted his eyes to spare her the embarrassment. As usual, Shino's face was unreadable, but he too looked away. A pink blush appeared on Hiroki's face as his widening eyes caught sight of Hinata. It was only Naruto who opened his big mouth.

"Wow Hinata! I didn't realize that you had such a hot bod!" he said with a wide grin.

Both Hotaru and Kiba tried to stifle the giggles that came up as Hinata's face turned as red as a tomato. However, the blush on Hiroki's face turned into fury.

"How dare you say such inappropriate comments about Lady Hinata!" he yelled.

"But it's true! Not even any of my Sexy Jutsus look that great!" Naruto once again turned to admire Hinata, who couldn't possibly turn any redder at the moment.

Hiroki looked about ready to do some violence, but Shino stepped forward and held out an arm to halt him. He looked to Hotaru, completely ignoring the situation that was threatening to explode between the samurai and the blond ninja.

"Are you all right traveling in your condition?"

Hotaru gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Good." Shino turned to everyone else. "We should continue moving."

"Shino's right," Hotaru agreed. "Eyes forward, boys. We still have a long way to go."

Everyone got back into position and their trek through the mountains continued. Hinata kept tugging at her shirt. She felt vulnerable without her jacket. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto looking at her. Once again Hinata blushed.

"Naruto," she said, "please don't look at me like that."

"Sorry," Naruto answered with a cheeky grin. "I can't help it."

Hinata blushed even more.

"Why are you so embarrassed, Hinata?" Naruto asked. "You look great!"

"I just feel so exposed," Hinata said. "As if I were naked." She crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

Naruto frowned. If he was a girl and he had breasts like Hinata, he wouldn't mind it at all, but that was him and this was Hinata, the shyest person he knew. Naruto liked having everyone's attention and got into trouble just to get it whereas Hinata was the type of person who went out of the way to avoid it. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, Naruto unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders.

"Here!" Naruto said with a smile as he handed his jacket to her. "You can wear my jacket while you loan yours to Hotaru."

Hinata held up her hands and shook her head. "I couldn't…"

"It's all right. I washed it before we left the village, so it's clean."

"It's not that. I just can't take your jacket," Hinata said with a blush.

"But you said you feel uncomfortable. Me, I don't mind going without my jacket for awhile. Go on, take it," Naruto insisted.

"I…" Hinata gave in and accepted. "Thank you, Naruto."

"No problem! But you know, you really should try not to be so shy about the way you look because you really do look great," Naruto said, smiling.

Hinata smiled back and zipped up his jacket. It was still warm from his body.

They kept moving until they reached a wide canyon. Below was a raging river and the only way across was a rope bridged raised precariously above.

"We'll have to cross," Shino said.

Kiba looked wary. "Are you sure? That bridge looks ancient. Who knows if it will hold our weight."

"Then we'll cross a few at a time."

Kiba and Akamaru crossed first, and Hiroki followed after. Next up was Shino and Hotaru. As they reached the center of the bridge, they heard a _whoosh_. A flaming arrow sailed over their heads and hit the wooden plank just before them. It lit the bridge on fire.

"Go back!" Shino yelled at Hotaru as more flaming arrows descended upon them.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and found the archers in the trees. The bandits had come back with a vengeance. "Naruto, behind you at your five o'clock!"

"I'm on it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as he and his clones ran into the trees. They easily took down the shooters.

Kiba and Hiroki were yelling and Akamaru was barking. Hotaru ran as fast as she could with Shino behind her. The fire ate at the ropes of the bridge. As Shino ran, his foot crashed through one of the planks of the bridge. He fell down but caught the plank in front of him with his fingertips. Hotaru heard him grunt and turned around to help him up, but the fire was already upon them. The flames severed the ropes holding up the bridge, and it split in half. Shino found himself falling to the river below him. He looked up and saw that Hotaru had grabbed onto the planks and was falling with one half of the bridge as it slammed into the side of the canyon.

"Shino!" Hotaru cried out.

Hinata ran to the start of the bridge and peered down at Hotaru. She reached down a hand. "Hotaru, hurry! Climb up!"

But the fire had already reached the ropes above her head. She couldn't climb up even if she wanted to. Shino had already fallen. Hotaru saw his green cloaked body hit the surface of the water. She didn't think.

She jumped in after him.

* * *

Please leave a review! I'll try to write up the next chapter soon so you don't have to wait so long again.


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